Protecting your personal information

That said, there are a few extra steps you should take to make
sure you look after your personal information and stay safe online.

Use strong
passwords and don’t write them down

Create a password that’s at least eight characters long.

To make it harder to guess, use a mixture of upper and lower
case letters, numbers and characters such as punctuation marks.

Don’t use people’s names, company names or place names and avoid
obvious numbers and phrases such as “12345” or “QWERTY”.

Also, never write your passwords down.

Don’t use
the same password for different accounts

Use different passwords for different accounts. That way, most
of your accounts will be safe if someone finds out one of your passwords.

And, update them regularly.

Protect
your bills and paper statements

Paper documents like energy bills and bank statements
include personal information. Criminals could use this data to try to get into
your online accounts. They could even use it to do things like open bank and
credit card accounts or apply for loans in your name.

Always shred paper bills and statements before you throw
them away and double-check postal and email addresses before you send your information to
others.

Also, if you use a computer that other people can access, delete
any PDF bills you’ve downloaded before you log out.

Don’t open suspicious
emails

Sometimes criminals will try to get people’s personal
details by sending emails that look like they’re from a trusted source such as a
bank or utilities supplier. These are known as “phishing” emails.

It used to be easy to spot these emails. Now, they’re
getting more sophisticated. So it’s not as easy to identify them.

You can sometimes spot phishing emails by some typical signs.
Look for strange-looking web or email addresses, bad grammar, poor-quality
images and website URLs that are different when you hover your mouse cursor over them.
Also, emails like this might not use your name.

Don’t open an email if you have doubts about it. Instead,
get in touch with the company or person who supposedly sent it, either by phone
or through their website. If you visit their website, don’t use the web address
given in the email. Search for it online instead.

Never take action on an email that asks you for personal
information such as your bank account details or your password.

At SSE, we’ll never ask you for your password or other personal
information when we email you.

Keep your
devices up-to-date

Update your operating system web browser and anti-virus
software when they offer you a new version. Your device will usually tell you
when there’s a new version available to download.

Beware of
scam phone calls

Sometimes people might call you pretending to be from a
company you trust. They may ask for your account information or passwords.

If you’re suspicious about a call you receive or if someone
is putting you under pressure to provide any personal information, hang up.

If you’re concerned about a call from someone
who says they’re from SSE, call us back using one of the telephone numbers on
your bill or our website.

SSE Electricity Limited is an appointed representative of SSE Home Services Limited. SSE Home Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under reference number 695476. You can check this on the Financial Services Register by visiting the FCA website.